THE life-boat service can look back with both satisfaction and gratitude on the year 1963 as a whole. Life-boats saved no fewer than 354 lives; the new inshore rescue boats saved 10 lives, and 224 lives were saved by shore- boats in services recognized by the Institution. It is particularly gratifying to be able to record that not a single member of the crew of any life- saving craft in the service of the Insti- tution lost his life on service. This is an indication of the skill and seaman- ship of the crews as much as of the quality of the vessels in which they serve.

The number of lives rescued by shore-boats is in itself proof of the success of the scheme which was launched jointly by the R.N.L.I. and the Ministry of Transport for making greater and more co-ordinated use of the services of private boat owners who are prepared to go out to the rescue.

INSHORE RESCUE BOATS There will be a substantial increase in the number of fast inshore rescue boats in service in 1964. In the sum- mer of 1963 boats of this type were pkced experimentally at four life- boat stations and at four other points on the coast. Winter trials were carried out at three places, and as a result it has been decided to have 25 inshore rescue boats in service in 1964.

Twenty-three of the sites have been definitely chosen. The sites in England are the life-boat stations at Barrow, Bembridge, Gorleston, Hastings, Hum- ber, North Sunderland, Redcar, Skeg- ness, St. Ives, Torbay, Warmer and Wells, in addition to Mudeford, Southwold, West Mersea, Whitstable and Worthing. The four sites in Wales will be the Pwllheli life-boat station, Aberdovey, Aberystwyth and St.

Donat's. The Scottish sites will be the Broughty Ferry life-boat station and Largs.

KENNEDY LIFE-BOAT As a tribute to the late President of the United States, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the Institution has decided that a life-boat to be stationed in the Irish Republic shall bear his name.

This proposal has met with the appro- val of the Governments of the United States and of the Irish Republic. The decision was announced by the Deputy Chairman, Captain the Hon.

V. M. Wyndham-Quin, in Washington, during a visit which he and a small delegation from the Institution paid to the United States in order to inves- tigate United States Coast Guard life- boats and methods of construction. At the ninth international life-boat con- ference a paper presented by the United States Coast Guard on their new 44-foot steel life-boat aroused great interest. A full report on the visit to the United States will appear in the June number of THE LIFE-BOAT.

CLOSING OF BUILDING YARD A firm which has had a very long association with the R.N.L.I. decided in November to cease building wooden boats at Cowes. This is J. Samuel White & Co. Ltd. As long ago as 1951 White's completed their hundredth life-boat for the R.N.L.I. The firm will be completing a number of life- boats which are at present under con- struction, and the last of these to be built will be the one hundred and thirty-fourth life-boat which White's have provided for stations in various parts of Britain and Ireland.

NEW FORM FOR JOURNAL Readers will have noticed that this number of THE LIFE-BOAT is strikingly different in appearance from earlier numbers. Both the type and the gen- eral layout are more in accordance with modern practice, and the cover is considered to be rather more in keeping with current ideas of design.

The practice of having a photograph of a different coxswain in each number, which is believed to be a popular one, will of course be continued, and as in the present number it will appear immediately after the table of contents..